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Prince Harry admits to "significant tensions" with Palace staff

<p>Prince Harry has laid bare "significant tensions" with one of Queen Elizabeth's top aides as his case against police protection has gone to court. </p> <p>The Duke of Sussex is suing the UK Home Office due to its refusal to spend taxpayers’ money on his bodyguards after he quit royal life in January 2020. </p> <p>The Sun reports that Prince Harry's lawyers asked Mr Justice Swift at a hearing in London to allow a full judicial review of the Home Office’s decision.</p> <p>They revealed Harry believes the Queen’s private secretary, Sir Edward Young, “should not have been involved” in the February 2020 decision, adding there were “significant tensions” between the pair.</p> <p>The Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (known as Ravec) - of which the Queen’s private secretary was involved - ruled that Prince Harry would no longer be given the “same degree” of personal protective security when visiting the UK, despite offering to pay for it himself.</p> <p>The duke’s legal team want to argue the security arrangements set out in a letter from Ravec, and their application when he visited the UK in June 2021, were invalid due to “procedural unfairness”.</p> <p>Shaeed Fatima QC, the lawyer for the duke, told the court, “He didn’t know at that stage that the Royal Household was involved at all... he was told it was an independent decision.”</p> <p>She also said there were “significant tensions” between Harry and Sir Edward Young, at that time which influenced the decision. </p> <p>Ms Fatima said he was denied the opportunity to make representations directly to Ravec and was “materially prejudiced” because “among other things, his offer to pay (for security) was not conveyed to Ravec before the decision was made”.</p> <p>Harry has now hinted at a second lawsuit, with the court filing adding, “[Prince Harry] has engaged in pre-action correspondence for a proposed second judicial review claim in relation to these matters, and intends to issue that claim shortly.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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How to stay calm and manage those family tensions during the coronavirus lockdown

<p>The coronavirus restrictions are <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-restrictions-ease-here-are-5-crucial-ways-for-australia-to-stay-safely-on-top-of-covid-19-138000">slowly being eased</a> but the pressures on families at home still probably lead to many tears of frustration.</p> <p>It could be tensions about noise and clutter, keeping up with home schooling and mums and dads torn between parenting and their own work duties.</p> <p>So to make sure our memories of being locked in with our families are as positive as possible, here are some evidence-based tips for calming down, preventing conflict and dealing with any sibling rivalry.</p> <p><strong>Take a deep breath</strong></p> <p>If you feel yourself getting angry at something, breathe in while counting to three. Then breathe out slowly counting to six (or any patterns with a slower out breath). If you do this ten times you should notice yourself <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0005796710001324" title="Differential effects of mindful breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and loving-kindness meditation on decentering and negative reactions to repetitive thoughts">becoming calmer</a>.</p> <p>If you’re too agitated to breathe slowly, put your <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019745561300124X" title="The impact of breathing and music on stress levels of clients and visitors in a psychiatric emergency room">hands on your heart</a> and simply wait until you feel more relaxed. Try counting to ten or 100 <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02699931.2011.579088" title="Counting to ten milliseconds: Low-anger, but not high-anger, individuals pause following negative evaluations">before you react</a>.</p> <p>Leave the room and take a break. Plan to deal with the niggle another time. When you’re on break, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022103107000078" title="Take a break! or not? The impact of mindsets during breaks on negotiation processes and outcomes">do something to distract yourself</a> like make a drink, listen to music, look at a beautiful picture or play a video game that is absorbing.</p> <p>Call a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15374416.2010.517160" title="Parent–Child Relationships and Dyadic Friendship Experiences as Predictors of Behavior Problems in Early Adolescence">friend</a> or <a href="https://au.reachout.com/urgent-help">professional helpline</a> to help you get another perspective, especially if you feel scared or hurt.</p> <p>Different strategies work for different people, so try them all. Encourage your kids to keep trying if they don’t initially succeed. You need to practise any skill to make it feel natural. For <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0300443940970112" title="Encouraging the development of responsible anger management in young children">younger children</a>, taking a break may be <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/42900065" title="Encouraging the development of responsible anger management in young children">simpler</a> to master.</p> <p><strong>Ease the tension before things blow</strong></p> <p>It’s good to calm down from explosions but it’s even better if you can reduce the build-up in the first place.</p> <p>Take time to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21642850.2016.1228458" title="A structural equation model of conflict-affected youth coping and resilience">share some of the problems</a> upsetting people and see if as family you can negotiate a solution.</p> <p>It’s likely everyone in your family is more tense because of the COVID-19 crisis. Many aspects can’t be easily fixed, like lost work or money stress, but others can, such as creating new routines or sharing space, resources or chores.</p> <p>Work out different ways to get exercise indoors, like games or apps. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1529100618821893" title="Beyond Willpower: Strategies for Reducing Failures of Self-Control">Plan ahead</a> for the times that need extra care, like when people are tired, or if difficult tasks need finishing. Let others know what to expect.</p> <p>And importantly, <a href="https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1998.tb01217.x" title="Resilience and Thriving: Issues, Models, and Linkages">lower expectations</a> for everyone. What used to be easy might now be hard, and that’s okay.</p> <p><strong>Control the emotions</strong></p> <p>Help everyone work on <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/per.1993" title="Explaining the Link Between Personality and Relationship Satisfaction: Emotion Regulation and Interpersonal Behaviour in Conflict Discussions">managing their emotions</a>. Just because you are experiencing extra distress doesn’t mean you should snap at your loved ones.</p> <p>You need to grow your <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12888-014-0227-6" title="Building resilience for future adversity: a systematic review of interventions in non-clinical samples of adults">toolkit</a> of things that make you feel calmer and happier when you’re under pressure.</p> <p>It could be spending time talking about what is going right and what is okay, working with your hands, meditation or prayer, time with your partner, reading or learning something new.</p> <p>Every day, take time do something from your toolkit to chill out.</p> <p><strong>Talk to each other</strong></p> <p>When the tension is lower, quiet family conversations can help by <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022096514002215" title="Parenting predictors of cognitive skills and emotion knowledge in socioeconomically disadvantaged preschoolers">naming any stresses</a>. Naming things like “this is a stressful time” or “I’m a bit grumpy about work today” helps children process emotions.</p> <p>It’s important to <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0033294116646159" title="Effects of Active Listening, Reformulation, and Imitation on Mediator Success: Preliminary Results">actively listen</a> to others and <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2000-05084-011.html" title="The Triple P-Positive Parenting Program: A comparison of enhanced, standard, and self-directed behavioral family intervention for parents of children with early onset conduct problems">celebrate strengths</a>.</p> <p>Listening and repeating back what others say makes people feel heard, and so does acknowledging shared feelings (“I miss my friends too”). When parents calmly talk about how some things cannot be easily changed, it <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4614-3917-2_5" title="Community-Based Practice Applications of a Family Resilience Framework">builds acceptance</a>.</p> <p>Over time, the most powerful thing to prevent explosions is to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.07.001" title="Peeking into the black box: Mechanisms of action for anger management treatment">notice when anger is building</a> so you can deal with it before things escalate.</p> <p>It’s useful to reflect on <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1999-08103-013" title="Cognitive behavioural interventions for anger, aggression and violence">questions</a> such as “Will this matter in 20 years?” and “Am I taking this too personally?”</p> <p>You can help children by exploring <a href="https://www.pediatricnursing.org/article/S0882-5963(03)00083-6/fulltext" title="Communication approaches to parent-child conflict: young adolescence to young adult">what might really be bothering</a> them. That argument about a toy might be about feeling sad. Try to listen for the deeper message, so they feel understood.</p> <p><strong>Calm that sibling rivalry</strong></p> <p>If sibling rivalry is driving you to distraction, the good news is <a href="https://centerforparentingeducation.org/library-of-articles/sibling-rivalry/coping-sibling-rivalry/" title="COPING WITH SIBLING RIVALRY">it does not</a> mean there is something wrong. Low-level sibling bickering is common during times of tension and boredom.</p> <p>But you should <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2000.00746.x" title="Step In or Stay Out? Parents' Roles in Adolescent Siblings' Relationships">step in</a> when the volume goes up with nasty name-calling or physical contact.</p> <p>Acknowledge emotions, help the kids express what they feel and encourage empathy. Try to help them decide what’s fair, instead of imposing your view.</p> <p>More serious incidents require you to stop the interaction. If there is harm, separate the kids, care for the hurt child and consider a consequence. Use time-outs to calm things down, not for punishment.</p> <p>But like all conflict, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149718912000651" title="Enhancing sibling relationships to prevent adolescent problem behaviors: Theory, design and feasibility of Siblings Are Special">prevention</a> is better than punishment. Does one child need more attention, exercise, stimulation or structure? Do certain toys need to be put away, or shared?</p> <p>Depending on the age of your children, you can help older kids to learn to react gently to provocation. Praise children when they take steps to manage their stress.</p> <p>Remember, these are stressful times for many families around the world. If we can use this time to stay patient, manage tension and act with goodwill towards our loved ones, our families will be better equipped to weather COVID-19, and many other storms that will follow.</p> <p><em>This article was co-written with help from Tori Cooke at <a href="https://www.ntv.org.au/">No To Violence</a>, Peter Streker at <a href="http://communitystars.com.au/">Community Stars</a>, Carmel O’Brien at <a href="https://www.psychrespect.com/">PsychRespect</a>, and the University of Queensland’s students Ruby Green and Kiara Minto.</em><!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/137166/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/winnifred-louis-3612">Winnifred Louis</a>, Professor, Social Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tom-denson-122725">Tom Denson</a>, Professor of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-1414">UNSW</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-stay-calm-and-manage-those-family-tensions-during-the-coronavirus-lockdown-137166">original article</a>.</em></p>

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'Joker' fans flocking to a Bronx stairway highlights tension of media tourism

<p>New York’s <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2019/10/the-joker-stairs-an-afternoon-at-nycs-newest-attraction.html">newest tourist attraction</a> isn’t a museum, park or art installation.</p> <p>It’s a stairway.</p> <p>Sandwiched between apartment buildings in the Bronx, it’s been dubbed by moviegoers the “Joker Stairs,” earning its name and fame after being featured prominently in “<a href="https://www.joker.movie/">Joker</a>.” Since the film’s release, fans have flocked to the stairs, where they’ve been posing for photos – much to the annoyance of <a href="https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/tourists-flood-joker-stairs-frustrating-bronx-residents">some local residents</a> – and uploading them to social media.</p> <p>As I’ve learned from studying <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21502552.2014.937923">film-related tourism</a>, it’s common for people to visit the places they see in their favorite movies and TV shows. But the relationships among tourist sites, visitors and locals aren’t always the same, and some destinations are more benign than others.</p> <p><strong>A place appears on screen – and is transformed</strong></p> <p>The Joker Stairs are the site of one of the movie’s most memorable scenes: when Arthur Fleck, played by Joaquin Phoenix, embraces his murderous Joker identity and blithely dances down a long stairway near his apartment.</p> <p>The film cues viewers to the significance of the moment. Peppy music eclipses the sounds of the city. Slow-motion shots allow viewers and Fleck to linger. The scene appears on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joker_(2019_film)#/media/File:Joker_(2019_film)_poster.jpg">movie posters</a> and in other <a href="https://www.joker.movie/">publicity materials</a>.</p> <p>When fans learned that the iconic scene was filmed on location at the outdoor staircase connecting Shakespeare and Anderson Avenues in the Bronx, they started <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2019/10/the-joker-stairs-an-afternoon-at-nycs-newest-attraction.html">traveling to the site</a>. Some wore costumes. Some played music from the film’s soundtrack. Others simply brought their cameras. Images tagged <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/jokerstairs/">#JokerStairs</a> started appearing on Instagram, introducing the visually striking site to even more people, who then wanted to see it for themselves.</p> <p>It’s not unusual for people to visit sites they know from movies, TV shows, books or memes. Tourists strike their “<a href="https://www.artic.edu/artworks/6565/american-gothic">American Gothic</a>” pose in front of the Eldon, Iowa, house from Grant Wood’s famous painting. So many people flocked to the shore of Thailand’s Maya Bay after watching “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0163978/">The Beach</a>” that the site became overcrowded and polluted. In <a href="https://discovernorthernireland.com/things-to-do/attractions/game-of-thrones/game-of-thrones/">Northern Ireland</a>, official tours showcase places that appear in “Game of Thrones,” and <a href="https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_ENG_6_4.jsp">South Korea’s tourism board</a> highlights sites from popular dramas.</p> <p>Tourists who visit these attractions view them through what scholars call a “<a href="https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/the-tourist-gaze-30/book234297">mediatized gaze</a>” – a way of seeing a place that’s been influenced by its depiction in some form of media. The mediatized gaze can change an otherwise unremarkable site into a must-see destination. It can make locals, not just visitors, think differently about a place.</p> <p>One of the most famous examples of this phenomenon involves another set of stairs. In 1976, “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075148/">Rocky</a>” sparked a fan practice that <a href="http://tupress.temple.edu/book/20000000009206">turned the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art</a> into a landmark now known as “the Rocky Steps.”</p> <p><strong>One set of stairs isn’t like the other</strong></p> <p>Beyond the fact that they’re both outdoor stairways that have become tourist destinations, the Rocky Steps and the Joker Stairs are more deeply intertwined.</p> <p>The film’s director, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/list/ls025720609/videoplayer/vi4003249945">Todd Phillips</a>, has acknowledged that “Joker” pays homage to many movies from the 1970s and early 1980s. Its scenes, stylistic features and characters include nods to films such as “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075314/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1">Taxi Driver</a>,” “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074958/?ref_=nv_sr_2?ref_=nv_sr_2">Network</a>” and “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085794/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1">The King of Comedy</a>.”</p> <p>Few critics, however, have made the connection to “Rocky.”</p> <p>Each film tells the story of a down-and-out guy who, over the course of the movie, gradually finds his confidence. And each film uses an architecturally striking set of stairs to symbolize the protagonist’s development.</p> <p>Rocky, the boxer played by Sylvester Stallone, initially struggles to run up the art museum steps; he’s out of shape and daunted by the prospect of training for the biggest boxing match of his life. Only after building up his physical strength and self-esteem does he bound up the steps, pump his fists and soak in the view of the Philadelphia skyline.</p> <p>In early scenes of “Joker,” Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck trudges up the long flight of stairs – a routine that underscores his sad existence. When he emerges as Joker, however, he navigates the stairs with eerie aplomb.</p> <p>At the turning point in “Rocky,” however, Rocky ascends the stairs; Fleck, on the other hand, descends. For one character, it represents his heroic potential. For the other, it symbolizes his descent into infamy.</p> <p>The Rocky Steps and the Joker Stairs are different in another important way. The Rocky Steps lead to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a space designed for crowds and tourists, and imbued with cultural power. The Joker Stairs are located in a more residential neighborhood that is poorer than other parts of the city.</p> <p>In the film and through tourism, the Rocky Steps bring people into a space of privilege. They represent success and accomplishment, both for the fans who spring up the stairs and for a city that has benefited from their pop culture fame.</p> <p>At the Joker Stairs, however, it’s the people with privilege who are more likely to descend on the neighborhood and its newly famous steps. They see and treat the site differently than locals who know the stairs as part of their commute, the place they used to skateboard or where their parents told them not to walk after dark.</p> <p>These differences contribute to the tension surrounding the Joker Stairs. While a tourist might be excited about the adventure of tapping into a piece of popular culture, a local might be wary about the attention from outsiders.</p> <p>To truly understand what’s happening at the Joker Stairs, it’s important to think about the role they play – both in the film and in real life.</p> <p><em>Written by <span>Laura M. Holzman, Associate Professor, Public Scholar of Curatorial Practices and Visual Art, IUPUI</span>. Republished with permission of </em><a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/joker-fans-flocking-to-a-bronx-stairway-highlights-tension-of-media-tourism-125907" target="_blank"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>. </em></p>

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Gentle yoga moves to help ease neck and shoulder tension

<p><strong><em>Tracy Adshead is a yoga teacher specialising in yoga for seniors. She is passionate about bringing healing and healthy ageing to the community.</em></strong></p> <p>This is a gentle yoga practice for improving neck, upper back and shoulder mobility and for relieving mental tension that sometimes causes shoulder discomfort. It should be practiced from a seated position. Move slowly with awareness.</p> <p class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9">              <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N1i0OcG52Ro" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><em>Follow Tracy on Facebook </em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/%20https:/www.facebook.com/TracyChairYoga/?hc_ref=SEARCH&amp;fref=nf">here</a></span></strong><em>.</em></p>

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